Joy Unending

When I look back over the seasons of my life so far, I cannot help but see God's hand in the mix. I remember those first few Christmas' when it was just Danny and me. I  can still remember that first Christmas morning waking up beside my husband of eight short months. He had gotten up early and put my gift's out under the tree. He wanted me to have the same kind of Christmas morning that I had for the prior twenty one years. It stills warms my heart that he worked so hard to make that morning special.


That feeling of child-like joy has been a part of most of my Christmas mornings. Even though life and circumstances have sometimes been hard during the season, we have tried to make that morning special. We protect it and celebrate it. It gives us joy.


That is the kind of unending Joy that God wants us to experience all the time. The kind that is unexplained by the world. The kind that doesn't have a definition or a picture that represents it. It is the Joy that comes from Jesus. The kind that is available to all of us by simply keeping our priorities and our focus on Him.


So I pray for you today that you will feel the Joy that never ends. The Peace that passes all understanding. The Hope that looks up. The Love that came down. That is what we are celebrating. That is the reason for the season.


As I look back over old pictures, I remember the holidays when my girls were tiny and full of wide eyed excitement. I never want them to lose that sense of wonder. That feeling that stirs deep inside and lets them know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is something bigger than the materialism surrounding them. The kind of Joy that fills them with peace and hope and love. The anticipation of a coming gift. The fulfillment of giving to others. I pray that they will always seek that kind of Joy throughout their lives.


Traditions are one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. The act of intentionally making a holiday special. Of seeking ways to share what we believe and who we are as a parent and as a family. The traditions are what mold our children and help pass on our legacy to future generations. Danny had been blessed with wonderful traditions and family time and he made sure that our new family was started with that kind of intentional celebration. I had my own traditions too and we worked together to make the traditions that are a part of our girl's memories. Our prayer is that they carry those into their own families and pour them into their own children. Making the Joy that we celebrate unending. 

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; 

and even though you do not see Him now, 

you believe in Him and are filled 

with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

 1 Peter 1:8